


Going Soft

by LadyDollyFace



Series: VK's Learn to Ask for Help [1]
Category: Descendants (2015)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Mal refuses to be weak, Mama Belle, No one is raised right on the Isle, Sick! Mal, Worried Ben, only a little bit of carlos and jay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-08 05:05:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11639511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDollyFace/pseuds/LadyDollyFace
Summary: Mal isn't a stranger to getting sick. It happens on the Isle. That doesn't mean she's used to letting it stop her, so she won't. But today, that might not work out for her.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me if you like it! I'm on tumblr now as LadyDollyFace if you have requests

Mal will admit, she gets sick. Everyone gets sick. She isn’t invincible. When you grow up on an island where the only food you eat is the garbage of kingdom, you get sick. It could be the moldy bread, it could be the meat that spoiled, it could be the rotten fruit. But you couldn’t let that stop you. On the Isle, there were no sick days. You take a sick day, then no money, you don’t eat, and someone could steal your stuff. Just because she’s in the cushy kingdom of Auradon doesn’t mean she has to be a cushy Auradonian. Going back to the Isle has shown her that.

So she sucked it up and got out of her damp-with-sweat sheets. And immediately ran to the bathroom connected to her room to kneel in front of the toilet. She’s a little mad for wasting food, that’s a luxury she wouldn’t be able to afford on the Isle. Thankfully, she’s not on the Isle at this time and getting new food won’t be a struggle. So, when she was done, she quickly flushed the toilet and got up on her shaking legs. The daughter of Maleficent knew that if she just sat and rest, she would have a difficult time convincing her legs to move, so she had to keep fighting forward. After splashing water on her heated face, Mal brushed her teeth, and even used some of Evie’s mouthwash, just to ensure the taste left her mouth. But, when she was done, she was good as new. She had to be.

Heading back into the bedroom, Mal got dressed. Thankfully, no one expected her to wear the fancy dresses everyday anymore so she felt comfortable going out in just jeans and a t-shirt. At the last minute, she decided for her signature Isle jacket today, it providing the comfort and strength it always does. Also, she hoped that anyone who saw it would know to leave her alone today. And if the paparazzi corner her again, she will throw up on them. All of them. Violently.

Evie walked in the room, having been gone all morning, presumably visiting Doug to talk about her dress business. Or the homework due. And despite having her head down, eyes scanning her tablet for something, Mal didn’t really care right now, Evie understood what was going on as soon as she saw Mal leaning against the center table.

“Sick? Is it your stomach?” Evie asked gently, though giving her best friend the space she wanted.

“Ugh, yeah.” Mal complained, “Out of nowhere. The food here is better, I literally don’t understand.”

Putting her tablet down, Evie leaned against the other side of the table.

“Do you want to rest today? I heard people do that here.” 

Mal would’ve laughed if she felt up to it, but instead just shot her friend a look and grabbed her backpack.

“I’ll live. Auradon has already made me soft, I can’t let that go too far.” Mal explained as she started for the door. “Meet you at breakfast?”

Evie nodded, letting Mal have her time alone. Usually they walked together, but Evie understood her friend better than anyone else.

~:-:~

Mal closed the door, ensured no one was in the hallway, and slouched against the door. Wow, Auradon really had made her soft. But she would get over it, like always.

Standing up before anyone could see her moments of weakness, Mal makes her way to the dining hall, sweating by the time she gets there. She just sits through breakfast, trying to eat her toast and some slices of an apple. The other VK’s just let her sit quietly, having gone through this before. Usually, on the Isle, Mal would get a lot more irritable and the best course of action would be to leave her alone. They diverted the attention away from her through breakfast, and she was able to be quiet throughout her classes. She’d get through this.

Except she had a little problem. Actually a big problem. Called a mob of paparazzi. She takes one walk to her science class at the opposite side of the campus and being the girlfriend (and probable future queen) of the King means there’s always a lot of questions for her.

And no, she did not throw up on them. She didn’t have the chance. The walk halfway across campus left her exhausted and dizzy. All that, combined with feeling overwhelmed by the reporters, left Mal not being able to see straight. The last thing she saw as she was falling to the ground was Ben’s worried face pushing aside some reporters.

~:-:~

Her head hurt. And her stomach. And it was way too hot.

Opening her eyes, Mal didn’t recognize where she was. It was a room full of cots and some medical equipment, but she was wearing her regular clothes, so this wasn’t a hospital. Probably the school infirmary. Mal tried to get up from the bed, but someone came into the room and stopped her.

“Don’t get up Mal.” Her boyfriend told her. “You passed out in the courtyard. Give yourself a break and just rest.” He told her, going to sit at the bottom edge of her cot.

“No, I’m fine, I just need to get up.” She told him, trying to get up, but he gently pushed her back down.

“No, you don’t. Fairy Godmother has told your other teachers that you won’t be attending class today or tomorrow, and Evie is going to pick up the homework for you. Now, tell me. Why didn’t you take the day off? Students do that all the time. Usually you have to go to the infirmary to get that verified, but not like this!” He asked.

“I don’t need a sick day. We don’t have those on the Isle.”

“Mal, this isn’t the Isle. We have sick days here. I even take sick days. Don’t worry about that. Sometimes, you need to take a break. Need to give your body a break.” 

“But, I can get through it.” She tried to convince him.

“No, Mal, you need to rest. Auradon has different diseases that you aren’t used to, your immune system is still wired to the Isle of the Lost. You can move to your room, because I know you won’t stay here, but you can’t leave there. Evie volunteered to watch you, to make sure you let yourself heal. Just, do it for me, okay? I was terrified when you went down, I had no idea if you were hurt or even worse. Evie was crying, she was across the courtyard and just saw you fall. Jay was about to fight all of those reporters, thinking they did something to you, and it was Carlos who told me you had been sick today.”

Mal felt really guilty for making the people she cares about worry. She never wanted that. Wait…

“My fall was on television, oh my god, what are they saying about me?” She asked, getting worried. She didn’t want the entire kingdom to worry, or worse, think that she was scared of the reporters.”

“Fairy Godmother took care of that. She told everyone that you had fallen ill, needed your time to rest, and that you’re expected to be completely fine. She also banned any and all reporters from the campus and we’re upping security to make sure that happens.” Ben promised.

Mal chuckled at that. “Good. I was prepared to throw up on them, but I guess that might not have gone over well…” She admitted.

“Nope, that definitely would not have. I think banning them is a better option.”

They both chuckled at that.

“Now, I’ll go talk to the Nurse and set up getting you back to your room. Stay here, and stay in bed, i’ll be right back.” Ben insisted.

Mal nodded her head, and actually stayed in bed. Okay, maybe she can stay in bed. Maybe rest is a good thing. As long as she doesn’t scare her friends, or Ben, she’ll do it.

Laying her head back down, Mal was left to her own thoughts as Ben left. She’s going to have to get used to Auradon ways, and this is a start. Maybe she can go a little soft, that doesn't mean she changes too much. It’s just a part of living in Auradon.


	2. Bonus Mama Belle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonus chapter because I loved how Belle acted in the second movie. She showed that she really cared about Mal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be apart of a series whenever I write a new oneshot. It'll be about the VK's learning to ask for help when they need it.

Belle doesn’t get to cook too often anymore, but it’s always been something she’s loved to do. She used to bake peanut butter and chocolate cookies for Ben when he was little and earned a good grade or had a bad day. And when he was sick, she made some homemade chicken noodle soup that would always settle his stomach. Mrs. Potts, before she retired, taught her a recipe that would always stay down, no matter how sick a person was. Ben loved it, as did his father. Homemade soup, especially one made by loving hands, always cured the worst of their stomach illnesses.

So when Belle heard, first from Fairy Godmother, and then from her son himself, that Mal had fallen ill, and had actually fallen, Belle had gone to work. Once learning the girl would be okay, she made her way towards the kitchen of the castle and prepared her chicken noodle soup. The former queen doubted Mal had ever been able to rest when she was ill, and had never been made soup for her illness either. That was such a sad thought. She had supported her husband's decision to send all the villains to the Isle, but none of them had the foresight to think about possible children or what to do with them. Mal’s misfortune was partly her fault, and she couldn’t forgive herself for being a part of that.

Everything had to be perfect for Mal’s first “sickness soup”, as Ben had called it when he was little. Belle didn’t know how the former villain would respond to her offer of soup and love, especially because Ben told her that Mal doesn’t want many people seeing her. Her friends, being Evie, Jay and Carlos, and Ben were the only ones allowed inside Mal’s room. She had only been sick for a couple of days, but while her fever went down, her stomach and muscle strength got worse. She wouldn’t leave her bed, and had trouble keeping any food down. 

She had the common flu, but her body wasn’t used to Auradon illnesses. Mal had rejected getting too many vaccines, so they had to prioritize on her first day and hoped to give her and the others the rest eventually. That hadn’t actually happened, and everyone was regretting that now. 

Once the soup was done, Belle put that into a container, along with some crackers. She could set everything up at the school easily. Putting everything in a basket, she made her way to the awaiting limo and set out towards Auradon Prep.

~:-:~

Mal hated being sick. Now she had to stay in bed, even if she didn’t promise to, because she literally couldn’t get up. This wasn’t a case of food poisoning, this was a full blown flu (or so Fairy Godmother tells her). She can’t keep any food down and it feels like she’s dying.

At first, she tried to do her homework and not let the sickness stop her, but sitting up made her feel dizzy and her hand felt too weak to even hold the pencil.

They had given Jay, Carlos and Evie something called a vaccine to prevent them from getting sick too, and it makes Mal really regret not getting it when she came to Auradon.

Evie was in class, so Mal was left alone to her thoughts and her television. She suffered through watching the news stations cover her fainting and her sickness. Maybe she should have stayed in bed that day, then it wouldn't be such a big deal. Though, it was kinda nice not having to deal with the constant meetings and reporters and interviews and all the talk about the Isle and which kids to bring over. Evie and Carlos were better at that.

A knock at the door interrupted the documentary of Fa Mulan fighting in the war. Groaning, Mal shut off the television with the remote and yelled, “Come in!”

And in walked… Belle? Holding a tray with food on it.

“Hey Mal, hope I’m not bothering you, I thought you could use some food.” The yellow-clad woman said softly.

Mal tried to sit up, causing Belle to put down the tray and help her. She pulled up the pillows to support the sick girl, and made sure she was all set before grabbing the tray again.

“I don’t know if I can keep it down.” Mal admitted. She didn’t know what to make of this. Belle and her had gotten closer, but this was weird.

It was a little weird for Belle too.

“That’s okay, this is my homemade chicken noodle soup. Beast’s housekeeper from when we met taught me this recipe. Something about it helps keep it down and help the person eating it regain their strength. I always fed this to Ben when he was sick.” Belle explained, getting the bowl and a spoon.

“I like dipping crackers in it, it helps settle the stomach more, so I brought some too.” She continued.

The soup smelled really good, and it reminded Mal how empty her stomach was. But there was one problem.

“I… it smells so good, but I don’t know if I can hold a spoon.” She said reluctantly, eyes devouring the bowl of soup.

“That’s okay. If you’re comfortable, and you might not me, I could feed it to you. That’s what I used to do to Ben…” Belle trailed off. Her and Mal had gotten close, and Mal had especially appreciated how Belle treated her during the Cotillion, but are they this close?

“Isn’t that something Auradon mothers do for their kids?” Mal asked, a little apprehensive, but hungry.

“Well, I’m an Auradon mother and you are my kids girlfriend, so that’s pretty close.” Belle chuckled.

Mal weighed the pros and cons in her head, and decided, “Okay. I guess that’s okay. But if you tell anyone i’ll deny it.”

That made Belle smile. “You’re secret is safe with me, Mal.”

Sitting up a little more, but not too much, Mal opened her mouth for the first spoonful. It was absolutely perfect. She had only eaten chicken noodle soup once, as a course in a five-course meal, so she didn’t pay attention to it. The soup instantly soothed her stomach, and let her feel comfortable for more.

Belle fills the silence with a story of Ben when he was a kid, and had a tantrum during a meeting with King Triton, and threw his entire dinner plate onto the King, polluting the river he lounged in with spaghetti sauce and soggy meat.

Mal had to stop eating for a few moments after that story, allowing Belle to get some crackers and dip it in, giving some to Mal and some to herself. Who could blame her, it was really good soup and Mal was getting full.

After they were finished, Belle started cleaning up everything.

“So, overall, how are you feeling?” Belle asked.

“Actually, I’m feeling a lot better. That soup have some sort of magic in it?” She asked.

“I don’t know for sure, but I’ll tell you my secret though. Mrs. Potts make me use the parsley from her plant that is still somehow in the garden of the castle.” Belle laughed. “I would be willing to bet that she put a spell on that plant. It never dies, and someone cut it down once, and it grew back immediately. Don’t tell anyone though, she made me promise it would stay a secret.”

That made Mal stop and think. Later, she’ll probably blame it on the flu, but having Belle treat her in such a motherly way left her yearning for more.

“Maybe, when I’m better and we have time, you could, maybe, teach me how to make the soup? Carlos used to get sick a lot on the Isle during the winter because he’s so small, and-” She wasn’t even breathing, just trying to get all the words out.

“Mal, I would love to teach you. Just get better first, ok?” Belle assured the young girl with a smile. She knew she wouldn’t ever replace Maleficent as Mal’s mother, but that doesn’t mean she can’t treat Mal like family. Speaking of Mal’s mother…

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but where is your mother?” She asked as she noticed the cage that housed the evil witch was gone.

“Oh, Evie put her in the closet. She was hissing at me a lot, probably for laying around.” Mal smiled.

“Oh, well, whatever works!” Belle chuckled a little. “And if you need anything, you have my number!”

Hesitating for a moment, Belle leaned in and gave Mal a kiss on her head. Mal gave her an amused look, and Belle gave her one back.

“I regret nothing.” She said as she left. Mal burst out laughing at that, refusing to admit to herself that she appreciated everything that Belle did today. Only seconds after the door closed behind Belle, it opened again, revealing a confused Evie, having visited her room after lunch to check on Mal.

“What was that and why is Ben’s mom laughing?” Evie asked.

“I’ve just decided that I would totally be with Ben, even if I didn’t love him, just for his mom.” Mal said, bursting out laughing at her friends even more confused face.

Every day, something reminded her why she decided to stay in Auradon. Reminds her why she doesn’t regret it. Today, it is Belle.


End file.
